A Thousand Splendid Suns Theme

In a nation brimming with discrimination, violence and fear, a multitudinous number of hearts will become malevolent and unemotional. However, people will rebel. In the eye-opening novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, the country of Afghanistan is exposed to possess cruel, treacherous and sexist law and people. The women are classified as something lower than human, and men have the jurisdiction over the women. At the same time, the most horrible treatment can bring out some of the best traits in victims, such as consideration, boldness, and protectiveness. Although, living in an inconsiderate world, women can still carry aspiration and benevolence. Mariam and Laila (the main characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns)

Throughout Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, many characters make decisions that can seem brutal or unkind on the surface. While it is easy to say that such characters are evil at a glance, it is most often a much more complicated issue. Rarely is wrongdoing simple, and we must look deeper into the issue to fully understand why it occurs. The importance of reputation and honor is seen time and again in the novel as a deeply ingrained part of Afghan society. It is this virtue, along with outside circumstances, that push these characters to such acts. It is an unfair generalization to condemn characters for trying to make the best of a very radical situation.

In this novel the author, Hosseini, uses a powerful bond between the two main character to give a reader a deeper understanding about the way women are viewed and treated in Afghanistan. These two main characters are used to represent the different perspectives from which women in are viewed. The first character we meet is Mariam, a woman from an unloving and poor past. She portrays the old ideas of abuse and mistreatment towards women. Conversely, the other main character Laila, a young woman who came from a more modern and loving family, is used to represent progress towards the equal treatment and education of women. These two women obviously come from different backgrounds but are brought together through

Mariam’s alienation prompted by her mother, father, and husband, in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, reveals the oppression and shame around being a woman in the society of her native Afghanistan. Mariam’s countless, inescapable struggles throughout her life were all regulated by the systematic dehumanization of women in a patriarchal society, which resulted in her living in constant shame and fear. Starting from her birth, she was seen as a bastard because she was conceived out of wedlock, from both her parents, Jalil and Nana, and her society. In her childhood, Mariam is marginalized, by living in a cottage far off from the public eye, because of her father’s fear of humiliation and her mother’s fear of Mariam experiencing the

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, takes place in Afghanistan between the 1970’s and early 2000’s. The novel starts with Mariam, a teenager who lives in Herat with her mom and rarely sees her father Jalil. One day she goes to see Jalil, but when she arrives back home she sees that her mother has hung herself. Mariam is forced to marry a man, Rasheed, who is much older than her. In part two Laila is introduced as a young girl who lives in Kabul with her mother and father. However the Soviets bomb Kabul, killing Laila’s parents and injuring her. Rasheed and Mariam take Laila in and nurse her back to health. Rasheed marries Laila and has a child with her. In the beginning, Mariam dislikes Laila, however they learn how to become friends

The five aspects of quest, which apply to every literary work, are the quester, a place to go, a stated reason to go there, challenges along the way, and the real reason to go there. The quester of A Thousand Splendid Suns was Laila. The place she was going was Pakistan and her reason was to escape the Taliban in Afghanistan. Along the way she faced many challenges including the death of her parents, being separated from Tariq, and being married to her abusive husband Rasheed. Her real reason to go to Pakistan was so she could be with Tariq once again and save the lives of her children.

The most integral part of life in Afghanistan is the ability to carry on through difficult times. War in this country leads to devastation and loss, but they still hold onto hope and keep going. Throughout the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, Mariam and Laila have numerous relationships they persevere through by having the strength to do so. Afghanistan has difficulty and overcomes tough times stemmed from long years of war. The most common theme in A Thousand Splendid Suns is strength and perseverance, as shown through the characters’ relationships and growth.

According to the United Nations, approximately 87% of Afghan women suffer from abuse. An example of this mistreatment of women is depicted in Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The novel is centered on the lives of two women living in Afghanistan under the oppression of their husband, Rasheed, and the Taliban. The women face physical and mental abuse from different family members and the law throughout the novel. The novel tells about the lives of the two women before and after their lives come together; they play a large part in each other’s life once they meet by attempting to focus on the happy moments rather than dwell on the hardships they must face. Hosseini’s novel teaches that in times of hardship, the mistreated form an unbreakable relationship which helps them to endure life.

Equality and fairness is something that people have always been striving for and hoping to receive. The novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by author Khaled Hosseini displays the journey of two Afghan women during rough times due to the religious extremists known as the Taliban. These two women, Mariam and Laila, faced cruelty throughout their lives even at the hands of relatives and their so called loved ones.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini, tells the life story of two girls growing up in Afghanistan. It begins with Mariam’s point of view, then switches to Laila, and eventually the two cross paths and have a major impact on each others lives. There were a lot of social and cultural issues going on during this time that changed the course of story several times. One idea that stayed constant was the significance of love. Both girls learned to love others and eventually each other in the midst of all the chaos. It helped them develop into the characters that they are by the end of the novel. A major theme that is constantly displayed through Laila and Mariam journeys is the concept of love.

Violence, war, discrimination, and poverty: these issues have long been a part of Afghanistan’s history. Even though things in Afghanistan are getting better, war fills the country, and women and children have to learn to endure abuse, caused by men and the Taliban; they also learn to endure poverty. Considering this, it is no wonder why Afghanistan is in the terrible position it is in now. Many Afghan cities like Kabul are filled with things like violence and discrimination, and the book A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini takes place in Kabul. This book follows the lives of two Afghani women, Mariam and Laila, as they suffer pain and discrimination received from the Taliban and their

Shad Helmstetter once said, “Choosing to live your life by your own choice is the greatest freedom you will ever have.” It is important that people are able to choose the paths of their own lives. As the quote suggests, the ultimate freedom is choice. Nonetheless, many people are denied this ultimate freedom. In relation to Afghanistan, many women are denied the ability to choose the course of their lives. The oppression of women in Khaled Hosseini’s, A Thousand Splendid Suns, subjects them to total control by men, however, when the prominent woman characters in the novel, such as Mariam and Laila, are able to maintain a sense of control, they pave the paths of their own lives.

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss (...) These people have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen” (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross). Compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern make mankind beautiful, but it also makes it defenseless . When one has concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others, he takes sacrifices, risks, and lives with uncertainty. When man is compassionate, he lives a vulnerable life. Love and compassion bring out the beauty in mankind, but they can also bring out its weaknesses. Because of man’s compassion, he

Imagine being away from love ones and not knowing anything about them. What if they not doing well or they are in danger? Being far away would be hard because one won’t know if his or her love ones are safe or not. Kindness helps to improve a friendship no matter what people can be kind to one another. In “When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine” Jhumpa Lahiri presents the idea that kindness can be helpful for a person that needs it. No matter what situation one person can be in always be kind it can make them feel better.

In “A Thousand Splendid Suns” Mariam experiences loss, rejection, depression, and helplessness throughout her entire life. I can relate to her life in some aspects. Mariam experienced several deaths and whenever death is brought up- it twists my stomach. I have experienced death and loss and it was a major event in my life. Everyone is like a gallon of milk in the aspect that we all have an expiration date that can not be changed. Mariam and I experienced similar emotions that both assisted in shaping who we are.